Penelope.

You may have received a CLL diagnosis quite unexpectedly, following a regular check-up or upon medical examinations for certain symptoms. The diagnosis may have come as a total surprise to you as you may have never felt ill before and had no reason to suspect the disease. Every person has their own story.
In any case, the diagnosis might seem upsetting and scary at first. Take your own time to process the new information and what it means for you. Every reaction is different and that’s totally okay.

Many people diagnosed with CLL do not need treatment right away. Instead, your physician will recommend regular check-ups and lab tests — a phase called active monitoring, or “Watch and Wait.” It can feel strange to live with a chronic condition without treating it. That feeling is shared by almost everyone in this stage.

Typically, cancer prognosis is about overall survival. However, CLL is an indolent type of cancer, which slowly grows over the years. Despite being chronic, the course of the disease can be unpredictable. This can cause uncertainty and worries regarding the future.
Thanks to the development of new diagnostic techniques and the introduction of novel targeted therapies, the era of personalized medicine is here. Nowadays, there are prognostic tests which can assess which treatment is more effective for each individual. Before starting your treatment, you may be asked to undertake such lab tests. Their results will help your physician better assess the significance of your disease and identify the most suitable treatment.

Signs of CLL worsening include changes in the symptoms, the results of blood tests or certain findings from your physical examinations. These might indicate the initiation of treatment. A variety of factors will be considered in the decision of the appropriate treatment. The development and introduction of more effective, targeted treatments through the years has improved the lives of people living with CLL. However, the start of treatment might pose challenges and entail a variety of emotions.

At some point after starting treatment for CLL you may experience a remission. Remission means that no signs of CLL progression can be detected any more, and symptoms that were troubling you may have subsided. In some treatment regimens, treatment is received until relapse. This means that a patient needs to continue the same treatment, despite remission. In other regimens, treatment is received for a specific period of time. Thus, if remission is achieved after the completion of the treatment regimen, no other treatment is needed. In any case, the phase of remission requires “active monitoring” with regular appointments and medical exams in order to ensure that remission remains.
Achieving remission can be a relief and bring positivity. However, being in remission can also entail worries and uncertainty regarding the future.